Project Inspiration [Live Life in Full Bloom}

Wow! It's been awhile! Thanks for joining me today for this weekend's Papertrey Ink Project Inspiration! I normally create with a lot of layers, but I wanted the stenciling and pot of flowers to take center stage!

The grasshoppers are eating all of my flowers from my pots and flowerbeds so I guess the paper variety will have to bloom this year! ha ha!

This card comes together in six easy steps and I'll guide you through each step!

Step 1: Foil an A2 panel of Pale Peony cardstock using the beautiful Fall Harvest Hot Foil Plate and champagne foil. I like champagne more than regular gold because it isn't as yellow.

Step 2: Use bright colors of ink on an A2 panel of white cardstock using the Baby's Breath Stencil Collection. Cut it using the largest die included in the Rounded Rectangles: Pierced Die and add it to the foiled panel using foam squares.

Step 3: Cut the pot from white cardstock using the Perfectly Potted Die. Add the ink using blender brushes; my perfect recipe for a realistic terracotta pot is Berry Sorbet ink, Canyon Clay, and Terracotta Tile. Stamp the sentiment in black using the Just Sentiments: Welcome Spring onto the pot. Adhere it to the background using foam squares.

Step 4: Cut and color the foliage; it is included with the pot die. Tuck it into the pot and secure with foam squares. 

Step 5: Cut the flowers and additional leaves from white cardstock using the Into the Blooms: Fall Boot Die. Color the pieces using the same colors as the stenciled background. Arrange them in and around the pot using additional foam squares.

Step 6: Add glitter to the flowers and foliage.

This would also make a fun interactive card; you could have a sliding mechanism behind the pot so the recipient could pull something out.

I always like to shape my flowers with a stylus and a foam mat.

It's been quiet around here, but don't fret, I will be sharing quite a bit in the near future, so stay tuned! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Project Inspiration {Make Your Own Waves}

Welcome, friends! It's my turn for the Project Inspiration feature from Papertrey Ink! It's been awhile since I created an ink blended background, so that is what inspired my project today! I love using flowers for summer, but sometimes it's fun to switch to other delights of the season and the beach and water are definitely on the list! 

To begin, I die cut two A2 panels from white cardstock. I added some masking/washi tape to the bottom to allow some white space for either a sentiment, and to keep the yellow (it will serve as the sunset) a little higher on the panel. I didn't want the yellow to get lost under the waves. Hopefully that makes sense!  I used distress oxide inks with blender brushes to add the color.

I repeated the same steps for the second panel.

I added some white acrylic paint splatters, trying to concentrate them at the top. It's hard to see stars against a lowering sun, so that was the method to my madness!

I must have gone a little wild on this panel because they are definitely lower down! woops!

Once that was done, I added some shimmer spray over the top of the two panels. I love how it reacts with the oxide ink.

Next, I die cut all of the pieces I would need for both boats from black cardstock, including the seagulls using the Build-a-Sailboat Die. 

I die cut the waves, moon, and clouds from white cardstock; grey ink for the moon and clouds and hues of blue for the waves.

I added some black ink splatter on the moon.

I stamped the sentiments, which are from the Floating By Sentiments Mini Stamp Set. I stamped the sentiment for the other card on the white space left from masking it off while I was adding the ink blending.

I added the waves using foam squares as well as the boat pieces. The seagulls are attached using liquid glue.

The waves for this card are attached using 1/8 inch Scor Tape at the bottom; this allowed me to tuck the boat underneath to make it look like it's submerged. I attached the clouds and moon using foam squares and then cut off the excess from the clouds using my paper trimmer.

I attached both panels to top-folding A2 card bases using liquid glue.

I added a trio of sparkling clear sequins to each of the cards using liquid glue! I had a lot of fun creating these two cards. I really miss creating ink blended backgrounds....I'm going to need to remember to try them more often for different types of cards! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

The Greetery {Cap and Gown Millinery}

 

Hello and welcome, friends! I'm over on The Greetery Blog sharing a pair of Market Place arch boxes all done up for graduation and wanted to share them here, too!  I have been having so much fun creating these for recent graduates filled with some of their favorite things! I always love adding a battery-operated tea light (turned off) at the bottom so they can use the box as a luminary after they take out the gift/treat. They look so adorable flickering inside the tiny shop once the gift has been removed and it allows the recipient to enjoy the box for a little bit longer and keep the celebration going!

I’ve also found that I love pairing a regular Market Place arch box with the mini–Market Place box together and then packaging them up in a gusseted cellophane bag with a white sturdy paperboard base. They sit perfectly flat and then I tie them up with specialty ribbon in a big, beautiful bow! It makes gifting them so much easier and so adorable!

To begin, I started on the large box and settled on a mint green for the base! I know I say it all the time, but I have a tendency of getting stuck in color ruts, so I purposely tried something new for the base. I was on a quest for new and exciting green cardstock and ordered three different colors, all of which ended up looking almost identical to each other AND matched some I already own! Haha! Oh well….I tried!

I used the Arch Box Large Die and cut the two pieces for the actual box, making sure to cut the windows from one of the pieces. This is totally optional, but if you don’t do this step, it won’t be able to be used as a luminary. I cut the base of the building, along with the windows, using the Market Place No. 2 Die. I like assembling the box and then setting it aside while I work on all of the details for the shop.

 I cut the shutters from Aqua Mist cardstock and the window frames from Ocean Tides. The shop sign and the top of the building are cut using Hibiscus Burst cardstock. Once I had all of the main pieces cut, I got to work gluing everything in place. I like to use liquid glue for all of the pieces, but I used foam squares for the shop sign to give it some dimension. Once the main parts of the building were secured, I got to work on the accents.

The flower boxes, greenery, flowers, and banner are all cut using the Celebration Street Die and the shop name is from the Celebration Street Mini Stamp Set and is heat embossed in white detail powder. I left the window boxes white this time to give the market some crisp detailing, but colored the greenery with a blender brush and dye ink and then colored the individual blooms with markers. I glued them to the building using liquid glue. The “congratulations” banner is cut from gold cardstock along with the two bows, which are included in the Holiday Festoons Die.

I added the store front to the assembled box using liquid glue. You can place your hand inside the box to press everything in place. Once that was done, I added some Stickles to the flowers for some sparkle and shine! I also placed a tiny gem on the center of each bow as well.

I used the Arch Box Mini Die for the accent building along with the Market Place Mini Die. I chose a building that would have different architecture than the first to give some variety and visual interest. I took some of the colors from the flowers on the first box to use on this box. Of course, I just HAD to add the bicycle as well, which is also included in the Celebration Street Die. It is cut from the same gold as the banner with black wheels and gold brads to secure it together!

I like to use mini clothespins to secure the boxes, especially when I’m putting them in the cello bags so I don’t have competing ribbons at the top; does that make sense? I had so much fun working on this pair and I’ve already carved out some time to make a few bakery-themed shop boxes to give as gifts this week as well! I can’t wait and I hope to use even more different color combinations to stretch my brain! haha! Thanks for fluttering by!